This invention relates to cushions for use by infants and more particularly relates to cushions for use by infants to increase upper body strength.
In 1992 the American Academy of Pediatrics implemented a nationwide campaign titled “Back to Sleep.” The Back to Sleep campaign was designed to decrease the occurrences of sudden-infant death syndrome due to infants sleeping in the prone position and to encourage parents to place infants on their backs for sleeping. The Back to Sleep campaign has successfully led to a 40% reduction in sudden-infant-death syndrome. However, one negative factor of infants sleeping on their backs has been the delayed development of their upper body gross motor skills, specifically crawling.
Cylindrical and wedge-shaped cushions have heretofore been utilized as props for infant floor play. U.S. Pat. No. 5,675,853 issued to Linge shows a cushion for supporting an infant which enables the development of muscular strength and motor coordination. The Linge cushion is in the shape of a solid rectangle with a hollowed-out portion to receive the baby's torso. The Linge cushion also includes storage compartments for storing toys, diapers, and other baby related materials. U.S. Pat. No. 6,070,585 issued to Fery shows a spherical device used to support a baby to alleviate abdominal pain.